NHS Suffolk and North East Essex - Your Pregnancy Booklet

48 Which option is the safest for me and my baby? Safety is always the priority, so if you have certain needs or complications with your health and/or pregnancy it may mean that giving birth on a labour ward is the safest option. Your midwife or doctor will discuss this with you if it is their recommendation. If this is your first baby, and your pregnancy is considered ‘low-risk’, it is just as safe to have your baby in a midwifery-led birthing centre as it is to have your baby in a labour ward. Research shows the risk to the baby is slightly increased when planning to give birth at home. If this is your second or subsequent baby, it is just as safe to have your baby at home as it is to have your baby in a midwifery-led unit or in a labour ward. Women who give birth at home, or in a midwifery-led birthing centre are much less likely to require medical interventions including caesarean birth, assisted birth, blood transfusion and episiotomy. For more information visit: • Birthplace study www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/birthplace • Which – Birth choices www.which.co.uk/birth-choice • NHS Choices www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/where-can-i-give-birth/ Your birth preferences and birth plan The birth plan can help you and your birth partner to think about your choices and preferences during labour and the birth of your baby. During your pregnancy you will have the opportunity to meet with your midwife/ doctor and discuss the plan – try and do this around the time of your 36 week appointment. This will help our team understand the kind of birth you would like.